Tissue Doppler imaging identifies asymptomatic normotensive diabetics with diastolic dysfunction and reduced exercise tolerance.

BACKGROUND: Early recognition of heart disease in diabetics is a highly desirable goal, and diastolic dysfunction, one of its earliest manifestations, can be readily assessed by tissue Doppler imaging. We tested in normotensive diabetics without signs of coronary artery disease whether tissue Doppler imaging would improve the diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction beyond classical criteria and identify patients already presenting impaired cardiac performance. METHODS: We studied 79 patients (56 males, 55 type-2 diabetes mellitus) who underwent Doppler echocardiography, and exercise testing. Diastolic dysfunction was diagnosed either based on European Study Group on Diastolic Heart Failure guidelines or by tissue Doppler imaging provided that both of the following criteria were met: Em/Am ratio <1; and Em < 8.5 cm/sec. RESULTS: Tissue Doppler imaging identified diastolic dysfunction in 26.6% of diabetics, while classical criteria did so in 40.5% of the cases. The group identified by classical criteria did not differ significantly from patients without diastolic dysfunction, while in the group identified by Tissue Doppler imaging, significant differences were highlighted, including worse exercise tolerance and higher left ventricular mass index. Moreover, in multiple regression analysis, Em myocardial velocity and body mass index were the only variables independently related to exercise tolerance. CONCLUSION: Differently from classical criteria based on pulsed Doppler, Tissue Doppler imaging identifies a group of asymptomatic normotensive diabetics with diastolic dysfunction and reduced exercise tolerance. Confirmation of the prognostic importance of our findings could justify the use of Tissue Doppler imaging for diastolic function assessment in diabetics with otherwise healthy hearts.

Angioplastia renal transluminal percutânea no tratamento da hipertensäo renovascular / Percutaneous Transluminal Renal Angioplasty for Treatment of Renovascular Hypertension

Objetivo - Avaliar o efeito da angioplastia renal transluminal percutânea (ARTP) no tratamento da hipertensäo renovascular. Métodos - Foram avaliados 23 pacientes com estenose da artéria renal e hipertensäo arterial submetidos à tentativa de ARTP. Onze indivíduos eram do sexo masculino e 12 do feminino com idades que variaram de 10 a 78 anos (45,8 ñ 17,41). Vinte Lesöes eram ateroscleróticas, 7 por displasia fibromuscular e 1 por arterite de Takayasu. Em 3 casos a dilataçäo foi bilateral e em 2 foi repetida por reestenose. Dois pacientes apresentavam insuficiencia renal aguda por estenose crítica das artérias renais. Resultados - Obteve-se sucesso técnico em 21 dos 25 procedimentos. Após 20 dilataçöes satisfatórias seguiu-se o sucesso clínico em 17(100// das lesöes por displasia fibromuscular e 77// das ateroscleróticas). A reduçäo da pressäo arterial diastólica após a ARTP foi estatisticamente significante (p<0,001). Nos dois casos de insuficiência renal aguda houve normalizaçäo da funçäo renal com a angioplastia. Ocorreram 2 complicaçöes e nenhum óbito foi relacionado ao procedimento. Conclusäo - O método foi eficaz e seguro no tratamento da hipertensäo renovascular no acompanhamento a curto prazo. Foi possível reverter a insuficiência renal aguda com a ARTP em 2 pacientes

Purpose - To analyze the effect of percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) in renovascular hypertension. Methods - Twenty-three patients with renal artery stenosis and arterial hypertension underwent PTRA. There were 11 male an 12 female, 19 to 78 years old (45.8±17.41). In 20 lesions the diagnosis was atherosclerosis, in 7 fibromuscular dysplasia and in 1 Takayasu artheritis. Three patients underwent bilateral dilatation and 2 patients repeated the procedure due to reestenosis. Two patients presented with acute renal failure and severe bilateral renal artery stenosis. Results - There were 21 technical success in 25 procedures. After 20 satisfatory dilatations, clinical success followed in 17 (100% of cases of fibromascular dysplasia cases and 77% of atherosclerosis. The fall in diastolic arterial pressure after PTRA was statistical significant (p<0.001). In two cases acute renal failure the renal function became normal after angioplasty. There were 2 complications and no death attributed to PTRA. Conclusion - The method was effective and safe in the management of renovascular hypertension during the short-term follow-up. It was possible in two cases of acute renal failure to normalize renal function